Renault Clio MOT failure rate and common faults
290,488 Renault Clio cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 42.9% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 30.5% of the time, which makes the Renault Clio 41% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
42.9%
failed first time
290,488 MOT tests in 2025
+41%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 30.5%
202 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
133.8
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 110.9
What fails on a Renault Clio MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Renault Clio MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 100.6 |
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 84.8 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 61.2 |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play | Steering | 46.6 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 44.5 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 38.1 |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 37.5 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 36.0 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 31.8 |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam | Lights and electrics | 29.3 |
Renault Clio MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 7,897 | 11.8% | 11.4% | 21,800 |
| 2021 | 9,215 | 15.4% | 12.8% | 29,300 |
| 2020 | 10,816 | 16.7% | 14.1% | 33,600 |
| 2019 | 17,246 | 27.0% | 16.5% | 41,800 |
| 2018 | 19,731 | 31.3% | 19.1% | 48,000 |
| 2017 | 19,229 | 36.7% | 21.8% | 54,800 |
| 2016 | 22,251 | 43.2% | 25.1% | 61,500 |
| 2015 | 23,929 | 44.4% | 28.1% | 69,900 |
| 2014 | 25,839 | 47.3% | 31.4% | 77,300 |
| 2013 | 19,680 | 46.8% | 34.3% | 81,900 |
| 2012 | 13,901 | 53.1% | 36.6% | 80,700 |
| 2011 | 16,236 | 54.0% | 38.8% | 83,300 |
| 2010 | 21,275 | 53.5% | 40.7% | 87,600 |
| 2009 | 14,691 | 53.5% | 41.8% | 88,500 |
| 2008 | 13,494 | 53.5% | 42.9% | 92,800 |
| 2007 | 16,069 | 52.9% | 42.7% | 91,900 |
| 2006 | 11,726 | 51.6% | 43.0% | 91,200 |
| 2005 | 7,263 | 49.6% | 42.4% | 89,200 |
Advisories to look for in a Renault Clio's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Renault Clio, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge287.9
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing183.3
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened140.0
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material138.6
- Coil spring: corroded62.9
- Brake pads: wearing thin58.8
Checking a used Renault Clio before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Renault Clio fails more often than average on lights and electrics, suspension and brakes. Start there.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Suspension
Drive over speed bumps with the radio off and listen for knocks. Look at the car side on: a corner sitting lower than the others often means a broken coil spring.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Renault Clio cars tested: Petrol 77%, Diesel 21%. Average age at test 11.4 years, average recorded mileage 69,700.
Renault Clio MOT questions
What is the Renault Clio MOT failure rate?
42.9% of Renault Clio cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 290,488 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 30.5% of the time, so the Renault Clio was 41% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Renault Clio MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 301 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded 100.6 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Renault Clio year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2022 registrations did best: 11.8% failed against an average of 11.4% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Renault Clio will pass?
No. These are averages across every Renault Clio tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Renault models
- Renault Captur24.0% failed
- Renault Trafic40.5% failed
- Renault Megane44.7% failed
- Renault Kadjar26.4% failed
- Renault Kangoo45.2% failed
- Renault Scenic44.0% failed
Ranked close to the Renault Clio
- Citroen C4rank 199
- Vauxhall Mokkarank 200
- Peugeot 5008rank 201
- Tesla Model Yrank 203
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Renault Clio cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.